O & M Hausser:

composition and plastic

Back in the 1904 the German firm of Hausser firm began experimenting with a composition process that could be moulded to produce a figure. A wire armature became, to all intents and purposes, a skeleton and around this was formed a body, fashioned from a bizarre mixture of casein, sawdust and glue. These unlikely constituents held together well enough and allowed the company to build up a huge range of figures, animals and scenic accessories.

Its vehicles were still fashioned in tinplate, though, and are much sought after today. A large percentage of Hausser’s output was of a military nature but incorporated many innovations: an infantryman with a working searchlight and a fire that actually glowed were amongst the ingenious applications.

By the time the Second World War was underway the company had begun to look at utilising a revolutionary process: that of plastic injection moulding. Hostilities, predictably, put that concept on hold but in the post-war years, with an economy back on a more even keel, the idea was revisited. At first, dolls’ accessories were made but later, with perhaps growing confidence (remember that this period would have seen lead figures as still the biggest sellers elsewhere in Europe), the company turned to making 7cm figurines in plastic.

The years 1955 and 1956 were to prove momentous ones: out came a series of plastic cowboys and Indians, along with a set of Wild West personalities derived from the novels of Karl May. A group of medieval personalities (Gawain, Prince Eisenherz, Prince Arne von Ord and a lady in a wimple) was also released. These figures were hand-painted (an approach that became a Hausser trademark) and well-detailed; for example, the whites of the eyes of the Indians were picked out. Models were in two parts in the main, comprising the figure itself and a separate base. The early Wild West models were known as J figures (so-called, because of the initial on the underside of the plinth) and were mounted on dark green glossy bases. Other base colours would be used as the company’s range duly evolved.

Five years later the rest of the knights appeared on the scene, to be followed by Romans (1961), Vikings (1962) and Huns and archers (1963). Interestingly, the company continued to manufacture the somewhat crude composition figures alongside their plastic counterparts until the mid-1960s. This seems odd to an historian and collector, since the plastic toys were far superior in most respects to what had been made before. The 1960s were also, in general, a rich era for plastic toys – so maybe Hausser was finally seeing the writing on the wall.

Foot figures were only a part of the range, of course, for every little boy demanded cavalry. Cavalry never came more realistic than in the set of Huns or Mongols. Genghis Khan would have been proud of Hausser’s efforts, one feels, for the rampaging septet are a centrepiece of any collection.

Some collectors, however, feel that the greatest cavalry figures of all were the quartet modelled after the Bayeux Tapestry. On rearing horses, you can almost hear the battle cries (en français, naturellement) of these proud Normans. Another particularly rich vein in this respect was the mounted cowboys and Indians range, which encompassed no fewer than ten Indians and eight cowboys. The horses came in several poses and are all imbued with life and vigour. In fact, the Wild West is the biggest single period in terms of different figures and virtually all of the figures were made in 4cm and 7cm scales. This era would have also prompted the (wealthy) collector to look out for the stagecoach, a dazzling tour de force with a Buffalo Bill lookalike thrashing two (or four) horses, whilst a pair of desperate cowboys blaze away at imaginary Indians out of the windows. There was also a chuck wagon, which accompanied a neatly-executed little group of settlers. (The Roman chariot, although of a different era, is similarly dramatic to the stagecoach and comes with four furiously galloping white horses, a driver and Centurion).

As if figures and horses weren’t enough, the company catered also for those of a mechanical bent. To this end it produced a large range of siege equipment, which included a battering ram, catapult (three types in all), spear and arrow throwers, a siege tower and several cannon. This latter category embraced a naval version, howitzers, field cannon and the most impressive of the lot, the Toll Grete von Gent, a fixed bed siege cannon of impressive proportions. Virtually all of these models were made in two scales and they all functioned - much to the chagrin of protective parents of the day.

Naturally enough, you’d have needed suitable backdrops and fortifications to act out your childhood fantasies. Hausser was odd in that it produced buildings in both wood and plastic. All its early Wild West buildings were made totally of wood and you could easily have put together a town. They were colourful and usually had opening doors and both 4cm and 7cm scales were offered. Realism was all: there was even a saloon with a musical box apparatus inside! (Later buildings would, alas, become more gaudy and incorporate plastic parts). Three or four cavalry outpost/forts were also manufactured.

In terms of castles, all were of vacuum-formed plastic. The simplest comprised a one-piece blown moulding whereas the most complicated included up to ten parts. Heroically, one 7cm castle (in sections) was offered but it’s really too small for the scale; in contrast, the 4cm castles work much better. The 7cm model is quite prized today whilst the multi-piece castle and chateau in 4cm can be found in grey or brown finish.

Outside of their home country these figures were hard to find and were costly – and prices are firm today.